Spotify Lossless Audio: Finally Coming to Streamers

Spotify Launches Lossless Music Streaming

After a considerable wait, Spotify is now providing high-quality, lossless music streaming to its premium subscribers.

Initial Announcements and Delays

The company initially discussed a hi-fi tier back in 2021, promising CD-quality audio. However, the implementation faced several setbacks, largely attributed to challenges in securing the necessary licensing agreements.

Last year, CEO Daniel Ek indicated that the development of lossless streaming capabilities was still in its initial phases.

Previous Reports and Tiered Access

Throughout recent years, various reports and code discoveries within the application hinted at Spotify’s plans to introduce a more expensive subscription level specifically for lossless music.

FLAC Quality Streaming Now Available

Spotify is now rolling out support for streaming audio up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC quality. This format ensures the preservation of the original audio fidelity without any data compression, for its paying users.

Rollout Schedule and Initial Access

The rollout of lossless streaming will occur across more than 50 countries throughout October. Access is currently being granted to subscribers in Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the U.S., and the U.K.

Users will be notified within the app when the feature becomes available to them.

Enabling Lossless Streaming

To activate the feature, navigate to Settings and Privacy > Media Quality > and select “Lossless” quality for streaming over Wi-Fi, cellular data, and downloads.

It’s important to note that this setting must be enabled individually on each device.

Data Usage and Device Compatibility

Due to the larger file sizes associated with lossless streaming, users will be able to monitor their data consumption. Streaming lossless quality tracks over Bluetooth connections is not feasible due to bandwidth constraints.

To bypass this limitation, utilize Spotify Connect to stream music over Wi-Fi to compatible devices from manufacturers like Bose, Yamaha, and Bluesound. Apple has also previously voiced concerns regarding Bluetooth’s bandwidth limitations for high-quality audio streaming.

Competitive Landscape and Library Coverage

Spotify’s introduction of lossless music arrives later than its competitors. Apple Music launched its lossless offering in 2021, and Amazon Music made lossless streaming available for free after introducing a paid HD tier in 2019.

Spotify states that this launch encompasses “nearly every track” within its extensive 100-million-song library, though some tracks may not yet have lossless support.